Louis
by punketten
Summary: "The summer before I started my 6th year at Hogwarts was the worst summer of my life. The reason for this was my sister getting married. And I was in love with the groom." A story about the ups and downs of Louis Weasley's love life.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: All right, my first multi-chapter! And only second story I've ever finished. I'm really very, very nervous, so please be nice.

Chapter 1

The summer before I started my 6th year at Hogwarts was the worst summer of my life. The reason for this was my sister getting married. And I was in love with the groom.

To be honest, so was every girl in the Weasley clan. I mean, come on. It was _Teddy Lupin_. But their schoolgirl crushes didn't seem to dampen their spirits. Everyone had thrown themselves into the wedding preparations, and all the girls were gushing over Victoire, telling her how jealous they were that she had bagged a guy like him – all very good naturedly, of course. We're all very close in our family, and nobody held any grudge against Victoire for snatching up the amazing Teddy Lupin.

Victoire had always been my favourite sister. Don't get me wrong, I love Dominique, but whenever we were in the same room it would result in a screaming match. This eventually wore off as we got older, but when I was growing up I adored Victoire. She was 8 years older than me, which means I can't really remember a time in my childhood when she wasn't at Hogwarts. And when she came home for the holidays, she doted on me.

Teddy had always been a part of the family, and all the younger Weasleys and Potters had looked up to him with something akin to hero-worship. When we were kids he used to entertain us for hours with his metamorphic abilities, inherited from his mother.

When the two of them started going out, I thought it was great. I was only 9, and the thought of Teddy being my brother was a thought I liked. I didn't realize that I actually didn't like it at all until I was 13. That's when I realized that I wanted Teddy to be _my _boyfriend, not Victoire's. Which meant that I also had to admit to myself that I was probably gay.

As I said, this story starts when the whole Weasley clan was in uproar. The eldest granddaughter was getting married, and to none other than Teddy Lupin, Harry Potter's godson and honorary family member in every Weasley residence. There was so much to organize, and everyone was running around everywhere being sickeningly happy. Except me. I was acting like the most stereotypically moody teenager you can possibly imagine, and I was very, very miserable. I spent rainy days locked in my room writing endless complaining letters to my poor friend Daphne, the only person who knew of my predicament. I spent sunny days walking along the beach around Shell Cottage (_alone _thank you very much so don't even _try _to join me). I snapped at people when they tried to talk to me, when anyone asked me a question around the dinner table I would answer rudely and/or sarcastically, and I had more screaming matches than ever with Dominique. Quite a few with my mother, too.

My mood grew steadily worse as the wedding day drew closer, and one sunny afternoon about a week before the big day, I snapped pretty badly. I had just got back to Shell Cottage after being on the beach most of the day, and I was on my way up to my room when my mother called me into the living room. This was not a good idea. I gave a very audible moan before going in to see what she wanted. And what she wanted was for me to get a haircut. This was probably the very worst thing she could have said to a moody 16-year-old who's only source of joy was making sure his platinum blonde hair looked excellent after he got up in the morning. A screaming match ensued – I can't remember exactly what I said, but I'm pretty sure it entailed clichés such as "you don't understand me at all" and "I hate you, every single one of you" and "I wish you'd just leave me the fuck alone." My Mum was so stressed out about the wedding that she was in no state of mind to try and calm me down, and I ran up to my room, slamming the door as hard as I could.

I buried my face in my pillow and felt tears stinging my eyes. Despite my mood being foul all summer, I had yet to cry. But now it seemed I had reached the end of my rope, and I couldn't hold it in any longer. I shook with silent sobs, the pillow getting wet as I kept my face buried in it.

"Louis?" There was a knock on the door, and I heard Victoire's voice. She sounded concerned.

"Go away!" I cried. And she probably would have, if I'd managed to sound angry. Instead, all the hurt I felt seemed to seep into my voice, and she opened the door carefully.

"Louis," she said softly, "can I come in?" I didn't answer, which she rightly assumed to mean yes. She came inside and closed the door, before sitting down next to my outstretched legs on the bed. I was still lying face down in my pillow, hiding my tears. But I couldn't hide my ragged breathing, or the occasional sob that wouldn't let itself be squashed. Victoire didn't say anything for a long time. She just sat there, gently stroking her hand in circles over my back, waiting until my breathing was once again steady.

"Louis," she said again, moving a gentle hand to my shoulder. "Please talk to me. I hate to see you so miserable, especially now when everyone else is so happy." She paused, waiting for me to respond. When I didn't, she continued. "You know you can talk to me about anything. Anything at all." Gingerly, I sat up, and she immediately pulled me into a tight embrace, like she used to do when I was little. The gesture made a new round of sobs threaten to overcome me, and for a while I just sat there, letting her hold me. When I sat up to face her, she took both my hands in hers and squeezed tightly. I saw that a few tears had managed to escape her eyes as well, and I suddenly felt terribly guilty for how much I had hated her just moments before. This was Victoire, my sister whom I had always confided in. It was only right that she should be first in the family to know.

"I'm really sorry," I said. "I know I've been acting horrible, it's just..." I took a deep breath. However much I wanted to come clean, it was hard.

"Just what, mon petit?" She stroked my hand and smiled. And suddenly I felt like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders.

"I'm.." I swallowed. "I'm gay." I looked up at her to see her reaction. There was a fleeting expression of shock before it was replaced with a smile.

"Well," she said, "that wasn't what I was expecting, but I can't say I'm surprised." She chuckled. "You've always been extremely vain."

I smiled. "Yeah, well. That doesn't necessarily mean anything, you know."

"I know." She reached up and wiped the tears off my face. "Thanks for telling me."

"Thanks for listening. And sorry again for being so moody."

"But there's more, isn't there," she stated. I stared at her. How on earth could she be so perceptive?

I nodded stiffly. "I don't want to talk about it, though."

"Louis." Suddenly she had that stern look she'd used on me so often as a child. "We're having a moment here. We're going to get to the bottom of what's bothering you, so that you can enjoy my wedding like the rest of the family."

"It's nothing, really."

"Are you lovesick?" she asked. "Or are you being bullied at school?"

"I'm not being bullied!" I said, indignantly. "Nobody knows, except Daphne. And even if they did, I wouldn't let myself be picked on."

"That's good. So you're lovesick?"

"I'm not answering that."

"Is it someone at school?"

"I said I'm not answering that."

"But just tell me, please," she said, "is that what's wrong? You're lovesick?"

"Why are you so good at getting me to spill my secrets?" I asked. Victoire just smiled. "Yes. I'm lovesick. I am head over heals in love with a straight guy. Are you happy now?"

"Of course I'm not happy," she said. "I feel really bad for you – you've been so miserable lately. But I'm really happy we're finally talking about it. Now please please please, tell me who it is, I'm so curious!"

"No."

"Do you even know that he's straight? Maybe if you talked to him-"

"I _know _he's straight, Victoire."

"How can you be sure? Just because he's been with girls doesn't mean-"

"He's getting married."

"Oh," she said. And then a more pronounced "_Oh_," as understanding dawned. She looked at me, and she didn't have to ask. I just nodded.

"Oh Louis," she whispered, wrapping her arms around me. "My poor baby!" That almost made me laugh.

"I'm not really a baby anymore, you know."

"You'll always be a baby to me," she smiled.

"So... you're not angry?" I had to ask. I had always imagined that she would be, if she should somehow find out. Angry and disgusted. I realized now that I'd been stupid to even think that.

"Angry?" she said, "Of course not! You can't help these things. And you know, it makes sense."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you and I have always been very similar. I have much more in common with you than with Dominique. No wonder we have the same taste in men as well."

I grinned, she laughed, and I realized I felt better than I had done in weeks. Months, even. "Did I mention that I love you?" I asked.

She smiled. "Not in a long time. But I know you do. As I'm sure you know I love you too."

-o-

With help from Victoire, I told the rest of the family, as in Mum, Dad and Dom, that night. Not about the Teddy thing, just the gay thing. Dominique seemed to think this was the best news she had ever heard, Mum said she was just relieved it wasn't drugs like she'd been fearing, and Dad smiled and said "I've been expecting this." The rest of us looked at him in surprise.

"'Ow could you know?" Mum asked, looking slightly offended that Dad knew something about their child that she didn't. We were sitting around the kitchen table, having just finished dinner.

"I didn't _know_," Dad said, leaning back and tipping his chair slightly, "I just suspected. I mean, it's the little things, isn't it. Alone they don't matter, but together, you start noticing a pattern."

I stared at him. "And what are these _little things_, exactly?"

"Well, you seem to care a lot about your appearance..."

"Please, like straight men don't," I scoffed. "And you more than most!"

He laughed. "Guilty as charged, I suppose. But as I said, you have to put two and two together. And there's the fact that you're a handsome lad, outgoing too, and I haven't even _once _heard mention of a girl."

"Well, I suppose I'll have to give you that one..."

"_And_," he continued smugly, "the most tell-tale sign: your favourite Quidditch player." I blushed, but the girls looked confused. None of them cared for Quidditch much.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Victoire asked.

"Jeffrey Wood, isn't it Louis?" I nodded. "Equally as famous for his work off the pitch as on. Very important figure in the gay rights movement. Not to mention that he's a keeper like his dad, so there really isn't any other reason why a chaser like you should idolize him so."

"I wouldn't say I _idolize _him..."

"Have I mentioned that your uncle Percy was a room mate of Oliver Wood's at Hogwarts?" Dad asked, and I almost fell out of my chair with excitement.

"You're kidding!" I cried. "Do you think he could get me Jeff's autograph?" My parents and sisters all started laughing, and I realized I had just very effectively discredited my earlier statement.

"You know, the name rings a bell," Victoire said. "Would he have been at Hogwarts at the same time as me?"

"He's a year younger than you," I immediately stated, knowing everything there was to know about the man by heart. "And he was in Hufflepuff."

"Oh yes, I remember! He won the Quidditch Cup for Hufflepuff four years in a row, and let's face it," she snickered rather maliciously, "that doesn't happen all that often."

"I remember that!" Dominique squealed. "Oh, he's a handsome one, isn't he."

"Why do you think I have like 5 pictures of him on my wall?" I asked, and everyone laughed again.

I felt absolutely wonderful. Shutting myself in and wallowing in my own misery for months was obviously not the wisest thing I'd ever done, and I scolded myself for being so stupid. Of course my family would be supportive, and of course Victoire would understand better than anyone. Suddenly, I realized I was happy, _really _happy for her. No one deserved a man like Teddy more than Victoire. And I'd get over him, eventually.

* * *

A/N: The story is mostly written, will update soon! (Will end up at about 20.000 words, I think)

If you're not sure about this first chapter, at least give chapter 2 a try before you decide :)

Reviews are appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The wedding day rolled around in a frenzy, and instead of a day of heartache on my part, like I'd been expecting, it was day of new experiences and new beginnings.

The ceremony took place in the ballroom of a large stately home, surrounded by beautiful meadows and deep forests. Victoire had wanted a fairytale wedding, and that was definitely what she was getting. Everything was planned out to the last detail, but I found it slightly claustrophobic, and I caught myself starting to plan my own wedding. It would be on the beach, and I would wear a light grey suit and a sky blue bow-tie...

I was one of Teddy's groomsmen, along with the rest of my male Weasley cousins, and Dominique and the rest of the female cousins were bridesmaids. The big moment was fast approaching, and I found myself calming down a stressed Teddy in a small bedroom within the house.

"You're changing your hair again," I commented.

"What?" Teddy said, startled, and rushed to the mirror to see that his signature blue hair had morphed into a sickly green. "No!" he cried, closing his eyes and bringing back the blue. "Of all the days to not be in control..."

"Come on, Teddy, you'll be fine!" I said. "Blue's your happy colour, right? And the moment you see Victoire in that dress, you'll be the happiest man alive. Trust me."

He looked at me, and then he smiled. "Yeah," he said. "You're right." He sighed and slumped into the armchair next to the one I was occupying. "She really is the most beautiful creature, isn't she?"

"Yeah," I said, grinning despite myself at the look on Teddy's face.

"You know, I really couldn't believe it when she kissed me that first time."

"_She _kissed _you_?" I laughed. I had never heard this part of the story before.

"Yeah," he grinned sheepishly. "I'd been in love with her for years, but I just assumed she saw me as a brother. I always thought she was _way _out of my league, you know?"

"What?!" I spluttered, "But you're like, the hottest guy in the universe, how could anyone be out of your league?" Teddy stared at me and then started laughing. I don't think I've ever blushed so much in my life. "I mean, uh, you know... _shit_." I covered my face with my hands and started laughing too.

"Why, thank you Louis!" Teddy grinned, and patted me on the back. "That's good to know."

"Anyway," I said, trying to act normal, "you were telling me about your first kiss."

"Not that much to tell," he shrugged. "We were on Platform 9 ¾, Victoire was leaving for her 7th year. So we were saying goodbye and I leant in to hug her, and she kissed me! And I apparently looked so shocked that she thought she'd messed up, so she was about to run away, but I held her back, and... Well, that's when James caught us, so you know the rest."

"I can't decide if that's romantic or not," I said.

"Oh, it was," Teddy smiled. "Not in a grand gesture, romantic fairy tale kind of way, but in that perfect, everyday life kind of way. A small moment that changed our lives. I mean, just look at us now."

I sighed. "I suppose it's one of those things you have to experience for yourself."

"Trust me, you will," Teddy smiled. "I bet you're the hopeless romantic kind, just like Victoire."

"Definitely. All this wedding talk is going to my head, you know I caught myself planning my own in my head? And I'm single!"

"Not to mention 16," Teddy grinned.

"That too. It'll be on the beach, by the way. My wedding."

"Any thoughts on who might be standing next to you on that beach?" Teddy asked.

"No," I sighed.

"Really? No cute blokes at Hogwarts who have captured your attention?" His tone of voice was one of friendly mockery, and I smiled at him sheepishly.

"So Victoire told you about that, huh?"

"Of course she did, how could she not? Now answer the question."

"Not really," I said, truthfully. "I've never really considered being _out_ at school, so I suppose I've kind of ignored that stuff."

"Maybe you _should_ consider it," Teddy said. "I think you'd be happier if you did." I was about to contradict him, but he interrupted me. "I know you, Louis. And I know you won't let anyone mess with you." He grinned. "So why not mess a bit with them?"

I wasn't quite sure what he meant by this, but at that moment the door opened and Uncle Harry stuck his head in.

"Ready for the big moment?" he asked, and Teddy's hair immediately turned back to the rather nasty shade of green. Harry and I laughed, and the three of us left for the ballroom.

-o-

Some time during my heart-to-heart with Teddy, I had made a rather important observation. This was the first time in ages that I had managed to hold a conversation with him without feeling faint, without stumbling over my words, and without avoiding eye contact. Maybe I was finally starting to see him as the brother-in-law he was meant to be.

Another thing I had noticed, now that the wedding party was in full swing, and the newlyweds were twirling each other around on the dancefloor, was that someone was making eyes at me. To be more specific, my French cousin Juliette's date was making eyes at me. And I was making them right back.

I got up from the table I'd been sitting at, where James and Freddy were in a heated discussion about Quidditch, and made my way across the room towards them.

"Hello, Juliette," I said, not breaking eye contact with my mystery man. "Having fun?"

"Victoire looks so beautiful," she said dreamily, gazing over at where the happy couple were dancing – if you can call slowly revolving around the same spot dancing.

"I know," I said, wondering how many times I'd heard those words today. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Oh! Yes, of course." She turned her attention to us. "Louis, this is my friend Luc, Luc, my cousin Louis."

"Nice to meet you," I said, hoping my smile conveyed a hint of mischief.

"Likewise." Oh, his smile _definitely _conveyed a hint of mischief.

Casual small talk drifted over into shameless flirting, and Juliette was completely oblivious, watching the dancefloor longingly. A little while later one of Teddy's friends asked her to dance, and she jumped at the opportunity.

"Look after Luc for me, won't you?" she asked me jokingly, and I grinned.

"No problem." I looked at Luc, who was grinning back at me. He was really handsome, tall and slim, light brown hair that was slightly curly, and dark eyes. His eyes sort of looked too dark to match the rest of him, which made it look like he was staring very intently all the time.

"Wanna go explore the house?" I asked.

"Sure, why not."

About two minutes after that we were snogging in the cloakroom. It wasn't strictly speaking my first kiss, but it was my first kiss with a guy, so I like to count it as my first. It got pretty intense, too. Not that I'm going to give away any details, but there might have been some inappropriate touching. Let's just say I was feeling pretty confident by the time I rejoined the festivities about half an hour later.

I went back to the table I'd been at earlier, where James and Freddy had been joined by Dominique. She looked a bit bored, as the guys were _still _discussing Quidditch.

"Why are you grinning like that, Louis?" Dominique asked. I couldn't resist turning to look at Luc, who had gone to find Juliette. He caught my eye and winked.

"No reason," I said, taking a sip of champagne. She looked over my shoulder, and then back at me, raising an eyebrow. "What?" I asked.

She sniggered. "Nothing."

Suddenly Lily came running towards us, looking so excited that it even distracted James and Freddy.

"What's up, Lils?" James asked, but she turned to look at me.

"I saw you," she whispered, her face awestruck.

"What?" I asked.

"I saw you come out of the cloakroom with -" she bit her lip and looked around at the others.

I grinned at her. "Go ahead. Say it."

"Really?" she asked. "I mean, you're not going to contradict me or say I got the wrong idea?"

"No," I said, "because I'm pretty sure your idea is spot on."

"No way!" she cried. "Seriously? Why haven't you said anything, you bastard!"

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" James demanded.

"Louis snogged that sexy French guy in the cloakroom!" Lily squealed excitedly.

"You didn't!" Dominique said disapprovingly, but with a smile twitching at her lips.

"I did," I said smugly, leaning back in my chair. The funniest thing about the situation however, was the look of shock both James and Freddy were giving me.

"So you're..." James trailed off.

"Bent?" Freddy added helpfully.

"Freddy!" Dominique cried.

"I don't mind," I chuckled. "And yes, Freddy, I am."

"Well," James said. "That's... cool."

"Don't mind him," Lily said, drawing up a chair next to me. "Now tell me. Who do you think is the hottest guy at Hogwarts?"

"Lily!"

"Shut up, James."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A few days later, I found myself once again in the Gryffindor common room, in a considerably lighter state of mind than I had been when I left. I was sitting with Hugo, Lily and our friend Daphne close by the fire, filling her in on the events of the last couple of days.

"I can't believe you told her before you told me," Lily said sulkily.

"He didn't really have a choice," Daphne laughed. "I just called him on it."

"I had to do it in my own time," I explained to Lily. "And that meant confiding in just one person first."

"I suppose," Lily said. "I'm still a bit offended, though. But I won't hold it against you."

"Thanks," I smiled.

"So, what now?" Daphne asked. "Are we to keep your secret, or do you want to come out of the closet completely?"

"I've been thinking about it," I said, "but I'm not sure yet." Then I remembered Teddy's advice._ I know you won't let anyone mess with you_. That was true, I thought. What was the worst that could happen, really? Wouldn't my life be infinitely easier if I didn't have to pretend?

It was just on a whim that I decided to go for it. Of course I didn't have to do it in a grand way like this, but that's just how I roll. What can I say? I'm a pathological attention seeker.

I stood up suddenly and got up on the table, so I was looking over the crowded room.

"Louis, what are you doing?" Lily asked, but I didn't answer. She'd find out anyway.

"Hey! Everyone!" I shouted. The people closest stared up at me with a mixture of amusement and curiosity, and the effect rippled through the common room until I had all eyes on me. "I have an announcement to make!" I continued. "I thought I'd just get it out there, so that you all know before the rumours start spreading like wildfire. Because, you see, I'm gay!" I didn't wait for any response, but continued gleefully, fuelled by the look of shock I saw mirrored on every face in the room. "Or, as my cousin Freddy so elegantly put it after Lily here caught me snogging a really sexy French bloke at my sister's wedding, I'm bent! Yep! Bent as a _fucking _boomerang. So I suppose I owe an apology to all you lovely ladies out there for making the most handsome guy in Hogwarts unavailable to you, but that's just the way it goes, I'm afraid."

"Make that the _two _most handsome guys," a voice said behind me, and before I knew what was happening I'd been pulled down from the table and into a pair of muscular arms, and _someone _was snogging the living daylights out of me. Cheering and laughing broke out from the onlookers, and I was eventually let go. My mystery snogger turned out to be Blake Marshall, a 7th year who was handsome enough, but I thought he might be pushing his luck in claiming to be the second most handsome guy here. He winked at me and said "I'll see you around, Weasley," before stalking off.

I looked over at Hugo, Lily and Daphne, who were falling over each other with laughter. I went back to sit with them, and after several people had come to pat me on the back and congratulate me on showing some true Gryffindor spirit, we were left alone.

"Did you know about that?" I asked.

"About Marshall?" Hugo said. "No, but his dorm mates don't look surprised at all, so I'm thinking more people knew about him than you."

"Oh, I'm so proud of you Louis!" Lily squealed, "That was so brave! And _funny_! And where do you think you get off on calling yourself the handsomest guy in Hogwarts?!"

I smirked. "Please Lily, I'm part French and part Veela. How can I not be?"

"He has a point," Daphne said, and I beamed at her.

"Don't encourage him!" Lily scolded, but she couldn't help smiling.

-o-

I told Blake right from the start that I did not want a boyfriend, but we still managed to spend a startling amount of time snogging in broom cupboards. Which was fun. The reason why I didn't want a boyfriend was because, throughout my 6th year at Hogwarts, I was on a mission to find as many guys to snog as possible. And before you start calling me cheap, I'd like to emphasize that I really just mean snogging. I had decided that sex should wait until I fell in love, not least because I still found the whole thing rather frightening.

I know that I can be quite charming, and when you add the fact that I have a little Veela blood, it shouldn't surprise anyone that I managed to find a fair few. If I really put effort into it, I could make guys who only had the slightest hint of bisexual tendencies drag me into the nearest empty classroom. But mostly I just contented myself with making eyes at people, and reading their reactions. Lily got a bit fed up with me after a while, so I toned it down a bit, but sometimes I couldn't resist.

Blake was the only bloke I found myself with on a regular basis, which meant that we got quite familiar, and I might have crossed a few lines I'd told myself I wouldn't. I'm still not talking about sex, but certain _sexual activities_. I'm not giving details, but I think you have a fairly good idea of what I'm talking about.

If it's all right with you, I'm not going to tell more of the story of my 6th year, because the interesting stuff doesn't happen until my 7th.

-o-

On the Hogwarts express on the way home for our summer holidays, Lily told me she was quitting as Quidditch captain.

"What? Why?!" I asked incredulously.

"Because," she said, "I think _you_ should be. You still want to be a professional player, don't you?"

"Of course, but..."

"And I don't," she said simply. "Next year is our final year, and I need to study hard for my N.E.W.T.s. But you, Louis, you'll make it to the big leagues, I'm sure. And what better way to start off than to be Gryffindor Captain?"

"Are you serious?" I asked, and she nodded. "Well, in that case... Thanks! But you're still going to play, right?"

She grinned. "Of course. I wouldn't give that up for anything."

-o-

When I got off the train, Blake came over to say goodbye. He was going off to St. Mungo's to be a trainee Healer.

"Don't let me see you there," he joked. "Take care on the Quidditch pitch, yeah?"

"Of course, you know me," I grinned.

"That's why I'm worried," he said, winking. "But in all seriousness, I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"I was wondering, if we're both still single this time next year, if you'd like to go out with me? On a proper date I mean, not just fooling around in a broom cupboard."

"You're asking me out a year from now?" I asked, slightly amused.

"Yeah," he grinned. "I don't think a long distance thing is going to work for either of us, so I'll let you finish off here first. We've had a good year, haven't we?" I nodded. "So why not? If circumstances allow it, of course."

"You know what?" I said. "You have yourself a deal."

"Brilliant," Blake grinned, before pulling me in for a final kiss.

"Who was that?" Victoire asked. She and Teddy were here to pick me up before we were having a family dinner at Shell Cottage.

"Blake," I said. "He's a 7th year. Or rather, he _was_."

"Are you going out with him?"

"No," I said. "Not yet, at least."

"And Louis... How are you?" she asked. "I mean, how are you _really_?"

"I'm great," I said, pleased to see that my words gave her genuine pleasure. "And this summer is going to be brilliant."

And it was. But my story continues when I was once again back at Hogwarts, this time for my 7th and final year.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

During the start of term feast, it was announced that, all though the old Quidditch master had retired at the end of last year, they had yet to find a replacement. I didn't give this much thought, it didn't concern me – the first match of the season wasn't until November, and only the 1st years had flying lessons.

As Captain, the first thing I had to think about was getting myself a team. I was a chaser, Hugo was a beater and Lily was the seeker. Hugo's best friend Stewart was beater number two, which meant I needed two chasers and a keeper. I would be holding try-outs for seeker and beaters as well, but that was really just a formality. I couldn't imagine anyone outshining the veterans – we had won the cup last year, after all.

The try-outs went... well, they could have gone better. Talents were few and far between, and the only new addition I really had any faith in was the keeper, a scrawny fourth year girl who seemed scared out of her wits, but who had some seriously fine tuned reflexes.

I was in the process of clearing away the equipment when Lily came running over to me. As far as I'd seen, we were the only two people left on the pitch.

"Louis!" she whispered excitedly, "the new Flying instructor is here! You'll never believe who it is!"

"Why, do I know him?"

"You'll see," Lily smirked. We picked up the heavy box that contained the various Quidditch balls between us and made our way towards the store room. As we got closer, I noticed a lone figure standing outside the changing rooms. There was something familiar about him... and then I stopped dead. In front of me was the most _sexy _guy, tall, lean, _fit_, dark brown hair that was almost black, and a face that I had seen on so many pictures...

"Lily," I said weakly, "I'm dreaming, right?"

"You're not," she said, grinning from ear to ear. "Come on, I've already talked to him, I'll introduce you!" She started walking again and I followed in a daze. "Jeffrey!" she called out. "This is Louis! He's the captain, and also my cousin."

"You're already on first name terms?" I whispered, awestruck. But then we were within earshot of him, and she didn't answer.

"Pleasure to meet you, Louis," he said, smiling and taking a step forwards. "I'm Jeffrey Wood."

I let go of the box I was carrying so I could shake his outstretched hand. "I know," I said, feeling a blush creep up my neck. "So you're the new Flying instructor?"

"That's right," he said. "I was watching your try-outs, seems like you've got yourself a decent team there."

I shrugged. "It was better last year."

"You don't want to be a defeatist," Wood said.

"Oh, I'm not! We're still going to win, aren't we Lils?"

"No doubt," she grinned.

"I was impressed with your choice of keeper, by the way. Risky, but it'll pay off."

"Yeah, it was obvious she hadn't played much, but I think she had talent."

"I agree. You obviously have a good eye."

"Thanks!" The compliment made my chest swell. And his beautiful Scottish voice was making my heart melt. And just the fact that he was here was making my legs weak. So you understand that my head was a complete mess. "So how come you're here?" I asked.

His face fell. "I got injured. I'm not allowed to play in the foreseeable future in case I get a backlash."

"Shit," I said, "that sucks."

"Tell me about it. I couldn't really ask for a better job in the meantime, though." He smiled, and I bet I looked close to drooling. "Anyway," he continued, "don't let me keep you. You should be up at the school by now."

"Right," Lily said, "nice meeting you!" I nodded, and we put the box back in the store room before making our way back to the castle.

"This is just completely unbelievable," I said, shaking my head. "He's actually here. I _talked _to him."

"Cool, right?" Lily said. "I bet he'll be an amazing teacher."

"I wish I had flying lessons," I sighed. "We're not likely to see him much."

"Don't be so sure," Lily said. "He seemed genuinely interested in our team, bet you anything he'll show up at practices and stuff."

"You think so?" I asked, and she nodded. I grinned. _Just wait until he sees me in action_, I thought. _He won't know what hit him_.

-o-

The next morning I cornered the first 1st year I saw and demanded to know when they had their first flying lesson. The kid told me it was the following Tuesday, right after lunch. I quickly checked my own timetable, and discovered that I had that entire afternoon off. I wasn't taking many N.E.W.T.s, so I had several free periods. Of course, I should use them to study, but hey. Professional Quidditch player in the making over here.

Tuesday rolled around bright and sunny. After lunch, I brought my Herbology book with me outside and sat down under a tree in the grounds. I had no intentions of reading, though. The reason I had chosen this tree, was because it gave me a perfect position for watching our fantastically fit Flying instructor teach a bunch of little kids how to ride a broom. It looked to me as if he did well. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but soon enough even the most scared looking kids (probably muggle-borns) had managed to fly a few circles. When the bell rang, the kids made their way back to the castle, laughing and talking excitedly. They had obviously enjoyed the lesson. Wood was gathering up the brooms, and I casually made my way over to him. Gone was the nervous kid who had met his idol the previous week – and here was Louis Weasley, expert charmer and a guy who has a habit of getting what he wants.

"Need a hand with that?" I asked, starting to pick up a couple of brooms before he answered.

"Sure," Wood smiled, and I gathered up as many as I could before following him to the broom shed by the Quidditch pitch. "I'm not very good with names," he said, "but yours is... damn, I remembered it two seconds ago... Louis! It's Louis right?" He opened the door to the shed and stepped inside, giving me an apologetic look.

"That's right," I said, beaming that he'd remembered me. I followed him inside, stacking the brooms I was carrying up against the wall. "Was that your first lesson?"

"Second," he said, "I had the first before lunch. They both went really well, I think."

"Looked like it to me." I turned to face him, and saw that he was leaning casually against the wall, an unreadable expression on his face. Could it be... _suggestive_? No, surely not. I was imagining things.

"I couldn't help but notice," he grinned, "that you found my lesson a lot more interesting than the book you were pretending to read."

"Anything is more interesting than Herbology," I said, and he laughed. I was using my Veela charm for all it was worth, which by the way is like 95 percent body language. And 95 percent of _that _is just the look in your eyes. And I was not breaking eye contact. "You looked like you've been teaching all your life," I said, taking a step towards him. We were already close together in the cramped shed, and now there were just a few inches separating us. He was only slightly taller than me, which meant I had to bend my head a fraction to look into his eyes, which were a beautifully rich brown. I could see in them that he knew _exactly _what I was doing – but he wasn't stopping me.

A slightly amused smile played at the corners of his mouth as he answered "That's good to know. I was slightly nervous, but..." His soft voice trailed off as I traced a finger along his jawline that had a slight trace of stubble..

"I bet you're brilliant at everything you do," I whispered. By now my hand was at the back of his neck, and I pulled him gently towards me, at the same time leaning in... Merlin, the _fireworks _as our lips met! I had never experienced anything like it. Here I was, kissing _the _man of my dreams, and I mean that literally. He was the one guy who could hope to rival Teddy in the amount of different scenarios he'd starred in in my daydreams. And there was no doubt about it – he was kissing me back.

Our lips parted for a moment and he murmured "You're a bold one, aren't you."

"It's in my blood," I whispered back, and we both leaned in for another kiss. Arms wrapping around each other, it was hotter, fiercer, more passionate... and then it very abruptly stopped. Wood pushed me away, a very confused look in his face.

"Louis," he said breathlessly, "I'm sorry, I... I can't."

"Why?" I demanded. If there's one thing the Veela in me can't stand, it's being spurned. My harsh tone seemed to snap Wood back into reality.

"Several reasons," he said crossly. "Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

"Please."

"Fine," he said, folding his arms over his chest. "Number one. _I'm your bloody teacher_."

"You're not really _my _teacher," I stated. "You only teach first years."

"Doesn't matter," he said. "I'm still a teacher, you're still a student." I was about to protest, but he cut over me. "Number two. You're too young." This really made me bristle.

"I am of age, you know," I said, "and I'm more than capable of making my own decisions."

"But I'm still, what, seven years older than you? That's too much for me, Louis, no matter how gorgeous you are. I remember what I was like at 17." I was about to say that seven years was the age difference between my parents, but I realized that might give off the wrong signals. "Finally," Wood continued, "and probably most importantly, I'm actually seeing someone."

There was a short silence before I answered. "Oh." This was news to me. I could have told him that I couldn't care less, but I _did _care. I didn't want to be that guy. "I'm sorry," I said, looking at my feet. "I didn't know."

Wood sighed. "No, you wouldn't. You don't have to apologize, Louis, you didn't do anything wrong."

I smiled. "I think your boyfriend might disagree." Wood laughed, and I felt the atmosphere lighten considerably. "What's he like?" I asked.

"He's great," Wood smiled. "We've only been out a couple of times, so we're not official yet, but I feel like we've really connected."

"That's good. Is he someone I might know?"

"He's not a Quidditch player, if that's what you mean. He's a Healer. I met him at St. Mungo's when I was there after my accident."

"Oh!" I cried, "My ex works there! His name isn't Blake, is it?" I don't know why I called Blake my ex – I think it might have been to impress upon Wood that I wasn't just a kid.

"No, his name is Michael."

"Oh, well, that's all right then."

He laughed. "Sounds like you were about to hex me if I said it was Blake."

I shrugged. "I might have."

Conversation moved surprisingly easily after that, and Wood walked with me back up to the school. We talked about Quidditch, and I confessed my ambition to become a professional player. Wood promised to come to Gryffindor's next practice to see if he thought I had what it takes, all though he couldn't come to the one we were having that night, because he had a date. My insides churned a little with jealousy, but I pretended to be happy for him. Because I hadn't given up yet, oh no. I would be perfectly charming to him for however long it took, and soon enough, _he _would come to _me_. You see, I had not forgotten that he called me gorgeous.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Where have you been?" Lily asked. "I thought you were going to spend your free period studying?"

"I did," I said, grinning wickedly. I had found her in the library, where I had told her she could find me when she finished her Arithmancy lesson.

Lily looked at me sternly. "Louis..."

"What?" I asked innocently, sitting down opposite her.

"When you say you've been studying... Do you mean you were studying the inside of someone's mouth?"

I grinned. "You know me too well."

"I'm afraid I do," she sighed. "So who was it this time?"

"Guess."

She gave me an exasperated look. "I'm not going to guess, Louis."

"Then I won't say." As if.

"Why are you being so secretive?" she asked, a hint of intrigue slipping through her exasperation.

"Because you'll never believe me if I tell you."

"Honestly Louis, when it comes to you, nothing seems to surprise me any more."

"This one will."

She sighed. "All right. Was it... Jack Merrygold?"

I gave her a hurt look. "I'm not evil, Lily." Hufflepuffs Jack Merrygold and Andrea Paine had been together since third year, and seemed to be as much in love with each other as ever. It was a bit sickening really, but I would never have gone after him, even if I could.

"No, I know, but you said I wouldn't believe it, so I'm going for the most unlikely." She frowned. "Thomas Baxter."

I snorted. "Please. I have taste." Lily raised an eyebrow. "All right, I'm not picky, but the guy is insufferable."

"Give me a hint then."

"I have been talking about him rather a lot lately."

Lily looked confused. "I can't remember you talking about any..." Her eyes widened, "...one... No."

"Yes," I grinned.

"No! Come off it!"

"It's true, I swear!"

"We are talking about the same thing, right? I'm not just jumping to completely outlandish conclusions?"

I leaned forward and whispered "I snogged Jeffrey Wood in the broom shed."

"Liar!" she cried, before bursting into laughter. I sat back in my chair and started laughing too, at least until Madam Shepard, the librarian, came over to shush at us. "Honestly Louis," Lily giggled silently, "how do you do it?"

"You are familiar with the fact that I have Veela blood, right?"

"That's just cheating," Lily said, pretending to sulk. "And kind of manipulative, if you think about it."

"Please, I don't make people do anything they don't want to."

"I suppose. But now. Tell me _everything_."

I told Lily in detail everything that had happened, and she shook her head in disbelief the entire time.

"Well," she said, "you're definitely a bold one, that's for sure. I can't believe you get away with half of it. Personally, I can't wait for the day when it all comes back to bite you in the arse."

"You don't mean that."

"Trust me, I do."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it's not going to happen."

She smiled ruefully. "Sadly, it does seem unlikely. But Louis, Wood turned you down. Aren't you just a little bit upset?"

I grinned. "Of course not! Didn't you hear? He called me gorgeous!" The thought made my stomach flutter, just a little. I didn't know why, though. I _knew _I was gorgeous, I didn't need anyone to tell me.

Lily raised her eyebrows. "So?"

"_So_, here's the plan. I'm going to be the most charming Louis you've ever seen, but in a perfectly friendly manner, mind you. He'll come to think of me as a friend, hopefully even a _good _friend. Then, when his relationship crashes and burns, I'll be there to tell him everything will be all right. And then he'll see that I'm actually quite an amazing guy, and then _he _will come to _me. _And then I won't just be able to say I've had a short but sweet snog with Jeffrey Wood." I lowered my voice to a whisper. "I'll be able to say I've _shagged _Jeffrey Wood."

Lily stared at me. "You're a bloody sociopath."

"I am not!" I said, a little hurt.

"Weren't you going to wait until you found true love to have sex?"

"Well, yes, but... Lily, it's _Jeffrey Wood_."

Lily sighed. "Louis, I'm sorry to say it, but this will _definitely _come back and bite you in the arse." She got up and left before I had a chance to ask what she meant.

-o-

Oh boy, did my plan come back and bite me in the arse.

-o-

Lily refused to tell me what she meant, and Daphne gave me some similarly vague advise.

"Louis," she sighed, "try not to do anything stupid."

"Stupid?" I asked. "What do you mean, _stupid_?"

"I just don't want to see you get hurt."

I scoffed. "Why would I get hurt?"

She gave me that look that only Daphne had, a pitying look that conveyed a very clear _I know you better than you know yourself_. It was how she had managed to make me tell her about my sexuality back in 5th. However, she refused to let me in on whatever it was that she knew.

What she knew, and what I should have realized from the start, was that I am a hopeless romantic. Sure, I had managed to go through my entire 6th year at Hogwarts without feeling love's keen sting, but that, I have come to realize later, was only due to the fact that none of the guys I fooled around with were at all my type. Being a hopeless romantic didn't necessarily mean that I fell in love easily. It meant that when I finally _did _fall in love, I fell hard. I wasn't picky when it came to which blokes were good enough to kiss, but it would take someone really special to make my heart race the way it had for Teddy a year before. And someone really special was exactly what I found in Jeffrey Wood.

The following weeks I made a habit out of helping Wood clear up after his flying lesson every Tuesday afternoon. He didn't seem at all suspicious, but why should he? We enjoyed each other's company, we had a lot in common and a lot to talk about. There's no law about a teacher and a student being friends, now is there? And friends is what I was endeavouring to become. Wood also came to quite a few of Gryffindor's Quidditch practices, and gave me loads of useful tips on how to be a better captain. He also praised my chasing skills sky high.

"If you keep going like this," he told me in November, a week before our first match against Slytherin, "you're going to attract some serious attention. I've already spoken to some people about coming to see you play."

"You have?" I asked, amazed. "Like who?"

"You'll have to wait and see," he said. "I can't promise anything, but I know some fairly influential people who trust my scouting talents."

"You would really do that for me?" When he nodded I couldn't help but hug him. It was just a friendly hug, but as I held him he laughed, and I was suddenly aware of how his chest was rising and falling against mine, and how perfect it felt to be this close to him. I pulled away, feeling a little flustered. Why was I blushing? Why was there a tingling sensation spreading through my body? Why the _hell _was my heart trying to escape from my chest?

-o-

We won the match against Slytherin. Obviously. I, however, was a little disappointed. Lily had caught the snitch much too early. I'd only had time to score five goals, and I'd been so badly looking forward to showing Wood what I could _really _do, in the heat of the game.

I deliberately spent a long time in the changing room, and sure enough, when I emerged into the brisk autumn air, the crowd had dispersed. I made my way over to the tiny little office that the flying master commanded, and found Wood inside. He wasn't alone, though.

"Louis!" Wood said, beaming at me. "I thought you'd drop by. There's someone here who'd like to meet you." I looked over at the ageing man next to him, and felt like I really should know who he was. He smiled, and stuck out his hand.

"So you're the young Weasley I've heard so much about. My name is Boris Broswick." I felt my mouth fall open and quickly shut it. I _knew _he was familiar! I shook his outstretched hand, trying to make my grip firm and confident.

"Louis Weasley."

"I was most impressed with you flying, Mr. Weasley," Broswick continued. "I will be keeping an eye on you in the coming months. There might be a reserve spot opening up at the Catapults, and your name is on the list of potential candidates."

"Wow," I said, feeling foolish that I wasn't able to articulate myself better. "That's fantastic."

"I told you you'd get attention," Wood said, still grinning.

"And you deserve it!" Broswick said. "Of course, you come from a family of many decent Quidditch players. I knew your aunt Ginny, as I'm sure you know, when I used to coach the Harpies. You seem to have a very similar style."

"She's taught me a lot." I smiled, remembering all the summers spent flying around in the Potters' backyard.

"I'm sure. I was wondering, Louis, how old is the Gryffindor keeper?"

"She's a 4th year," I said. "Annie Doyle."

"I was quite impressed with her, especially at that age. Tell her from me that if she works hard, she might well be in your place in three years."

"I'll be happy to relay your message, she hasn't got much confidence yet."

"Oh, she was no need to be nervous," Broswick chuckled. "There is definitely talent there. But I'm afraid I have to get going. I'm sure we'll meet again, Louis." We shook hands again and he left, leaving me alone with Wood.

"Oh my god," I said. "The _Catapults_."

"Number one in the league," Wood nodded. "You couldn't do much better."

"Yeah," I grinned, "except that my entire family would kill me."

Wood laughed. "So they're not the most popular team in the Weasley household?"

"Well, they win everything. So naturally people who support other teams hate them. And almost everyone in my family supports the Harpies, because of my aunt Ginny. Not to mention they have the ugliest robes in the league!" I made a face. "I'd rather play for the _Cannons_."

"You prefer orange to red and green?" Wood laughed.

"But they aren't just red and green," I pointed out, "it's that horrible light green that really doesn't go well with the red, and the stripes make me dizzy."

"So if you could choose," Wood asked, "who would you like to play for?"

"I, um... I don't really mind." This wasn't strictly true. My ambition for years had been to play for the Appleby Arrows, because of Wood. I didn't really feel like telling him this, though.

"Come on," he said, "surely there's a team you have a soft spot for?"

"Well, I support the Harpies, and I obviously couldn't play _there_," I said, looking at Wood's feet. "But I, sort of, eh, always liked the Arrows. Because of you." I chanced a look up at him, and found him smiling fondly at me. I looked away again, face reddening and heart trying to escape my chest. _What the hell is happening to me?_

After that I seemed unable to make normal conversation, and soon made an excuse to return back to the castle.

The first thing I did when I entered the common room, in which a party was raging, was tell Annie what Broswick had told me. She absolutely refused to believe me, going on and on about how her saves were all down to pure luck, and that the two goals she had let in were horrendous mistakes. I told her I had seen it differently – some of her saves had been quite impressive, and what she thought was luck was more her own reflexes. And sure, maybe she should have saved those goals, but not even the best save _everything_, especially not in their first game. She still didn't seem to believe me, but walked away with a smile on her face.

Next I found Lily, who was sitting by the window in the corner with Daphne, Hugo and Stewart. They were amazed by my news and we spent the rest of the evening discussing my future stardom. But my head wasn't in it. I just kept thinking about Wood, and that look he gave me that set my heart racing.

-o-

I hadn't meant to fall in love with him, I swear. I didn't _want_ to fall in love. I wasn't ready for that. And so I thought that because I didn't want to, it wouldn't happen. I didn't think that sometimes, these things are out of your control. Sometimes you fall in love when you shouldn't, and sometimes fate likes to play tricks on you.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Falling in love is supposed to be a good thing. For me, it was the worst. First my completely impossible love for Teddy, and although my love for Wood wasn't quite as impossible, it was still completely unrequited. Because Wood was absolutely head over heels in love with _Michael_. Fucking _Michael_. Every time I said his name in my head I would sneer. What did _Michael _have that I didn't? Wood talked about _Michael_ all the time, and it was driving me up the wall. I didn't say anything, though. I let him think I was happy for him, and so he started telling me way more than I wanted to hear. This led to a catastrophic drop in my mood, which the whole school – except Wood, because I was the sun itself around him – seemed to notice.

"I told you so," Lily said.

"You didn't tell me shit," I replied angrily. We were sitting by the fire in the Gryffindor common room, writing an essay for Charms.

"I did. Isn't that right, Daphne?"

"She did," Daphne nodded. "And so did I."

"You did not! None of you! You gave me cryptic messages about arse-biting and getting hurt."

"And where are you now?" Lily asked pointedly. "Your idiotic plan came back and bit you in the arse, as I said it would, and you're miserable, like Daphne said you would be."

I gave her a withering look. "Fine. As much as it pains me to say it, you were right. But you could have done a better job with your advice."

Lily shrugged. "You wouldn't have listened."

"You should have made me listen."

"Are you seriously blaming _me _for _your _mistakes?" Lily asked, flaring up dangerously.

"Louis," Daphne said softly, "you're the most stubborn person I know. We tried to warn you, but when you didn't listen... You kind of deserved it."

"Oh, I _deserve _to be heartbroken, do I?" I snapped.

"No, no, of course not!" Daphne cried, "that's not what I meant! I'm sorry Louis, I feel really bad for you, but you have to some extent brought this on yourself."

I grumbled something unintelligible, knowing they were both right, but not wanting to say so again. We returned to our studying in silence, but I couldn't get my concentration back. There was only one thing on my mind: _Jeff. Jeff. Jeff_. I had started calling him by his first name now. I felt closer to him that way.

"No," I said suddenly, making the girls jump. "You're wrong. I didn't bring this on myself."

"What -" Lily started, but I cut her off.

"I might have been spending time with Jeff for the wrong reasons, but that doesn't mean I haven't enjoyed being in his company. I would have fallen in love with him whatever, because we are perfect for each other. And I _will _make him see that."

Lily sighed loudly, and returned to her work, obviously biting back an angry reply. Daphne looked at me and shook her head sadly.

"I'll repeat the same advice as before," she said. "Don't do anything stupid, or you'll end up hurting more than you already are."

-o-

Christmas rolled around, and I was back at home, most likely for the last time before I finished school. It was a weird thought, that I'd be leaving Hogwarts soon, for good. The most important seven years of your life – it feels like they'll last forever, and suddenly you're wondering where all the time has gone.

This was what I blamed my bad mood on, at first. It wasn't the kind of raging hormonal bad mood I'd experienced 18 months ago. It was a quiet bad mood. I was introvert, brooding and generally kept myself to myself. There was a dull ache in the pit of my stomach that never left, that I only managed to forget about for a moment once in a while, when I was with my sisters, or Teddy. They made me smile, even when I didn't feel like it.

They noticed I wasn't acting like my usual cheery self, but I dismissed it when they asked. I'm sure I heard Victoire and Dominique whispering about me, and several times conversation abruptly stopped when I walked into a room.

We spent Christmas day at the Burrow, as we always did. It relaxed me more than anything else could have done. All the family was there and everyone was cheery, and I couldn't help but be smitten with the Christmas spirit. I talked to Aunt Ginny for a long time about Quidditch. She told me she'd heard rumours about me, her position at the Daily Prophet making it easy to get hold of juicy news, and she thought it likely that I might get more offers than just from the Catapults.

"Just remember, Louis," she said seriously, "it's a tough business. Don't be afraid to use some elbow to get ahead." I had to laugh. Trust Aunt Ginny to give me advice like that.

When we returned home late that night, I found a letter waiting for me. I opened the envelope to find a pretty little Christmas card, and inside was a letter from Blake. It didn't say much, only that he was enjoying the hospital work and a request to let him know how I was doing. I was about to write a reply (I wasn't feeling particularly tired), when Victoire entered my room.

"Louis," she said quietly, sitting down on my bed, "I talked to Lily today." Her tone of voice made my stomach sink. She was going to reprimand me as well.

"And what did Lily have to say?" I asked coldly.

"I thought you knew that you can talk to me about things like this."

"It's not like you can do anything about it."

"But talking about it will make you feel better."

I sighed. "Not this time."

"Try me." She looked at me pleadingly, and I realized she needed to give advice more than I needed to receive it.

"What did Lily tell you?"

"That you're letting a crush run away with you. That you refuse to move on, even though it's a lost cause. You're making yourself miserable."

"That's not true," I said angrily. "It's not a lost cause, and it's definitely not just a stupid crush. I'm in love, Vic. I can't just pretend that I'm not."

"Lily said Wood is seeing someone. That they're moving in together." I'm sorry I haven't mentioned that before. It was too painful to write down.

"Look," I said, "I _can't _and I _won't _accept that I can't have him. Not yet."

"But you're making yourself miserable!" Victoire pleaded. "If you just stayed away from him for a while..."

"No!" I cried, "that's not going to happen, all right?"

Victoire was silent for a long moment, looking at her hands. "I don't know what to say," she said finally.

"There's nothing you _can _say."

She sighed. "How about trying to meet someone else?"

"No."

"What about that boy from the train station?"

I looked at Blake's letter, lying on my desk. "He's a great guy," I shrugged, "but I don't love him. I never will, not like that."

"I'm sorry, Louis." Victoire got up and left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

-o-

_Blake,_

_I'm glad to hear that you're doing well. I knew you would. As for me... it's a tough question to answer. On one hand, I'm doing great. The way things are flying at the moment, my career in Quidditch looks very promising. I've had scouts after me already! On the other hand, I'm rather depressed. I don't know if you want to hear this or not, but for some reason I feel like you might understand me. No one else does, that's for sure._

_ I'm sure you've heard that Jeffrey Wood is teaching at Hogwarts, and to make a long story short, I'm in love with him. Desperately so. And I'm sure he'd feel the same way, if he could just __see__ me. But he's in love with this guy named Michael, and they're moving in together. This guy, he works at St. Mungo's – do you know him? I've never met him, but I hate him with every fibre of my being. I bet he's a prat._

_Louis_

_PS: Don't tell me to just move on, because that's what everyone else has told me, and it's not going to happen._

-o-

_Dear Louis_

_I'm sorry to hear that you're suffering from heartache, but your letter made me laugh, because I know __exactly__ how you feel. Right now you're probably thinking "How can he possibly know?" And I'll tell you how. Because I do know Michael. And if you just switch over the names in your letter, you'll have my situation down to a point._

_ Michael Phillips is one of the Healers who's been overseeing us trainees. And I've been in love with him almost since day 1. We worked together for about a month before the bloody celebrity showed up, and in that time we had become good friends. I'm sure Michael was flirting with me, but after he met Wood that stopped. I never talked to Wood, so I don't know him, but I'm sure the wrong two people are together. Your letter only made me more certain of that. Michael is everything I've ever wanted, we get along really well – and I hate to say it, but he's my best friend. Isn't that sad? Everyone is telling me to stay away from him, "meet some new people". But how the hell am I supposed to do that? I'll be comparing everyone to him, and any potential candidate will fall short. I confess, that's why I wrote to you in the first place. I'd convinced myself that if I saw you again, it would help me get over Michael. It wouldn't have worked, though. So I won't tell you to move on like everyone else, because if your feelings for Wood are anything like my feelings for Michael, I know that it's impossible._

_ On a brighter note, I think Michael is scared about moving in with Wood. I don't think he really wants to, but he's scared it'll ruin their relationship if he says no. I take that as a very good sign! Keep fighting for Wood, Louis, and I'll keep fighting for Michael. They'll see sense._

_Love,_

_Blake_

-o-

Well, that was unexpected.

-o-

Blake had answered my letter immediately, and it was now the evening on Boxing Day. I sat in my room, reading and rereading, feeling both better and worse at the same time. It comforted me to no end to know that I was not alone, and that at least _one _person in the world thought I was doing the right thing. But... Jeff was in love with Michael. And Michael sounded like a good guy, he had to be if Blake was in love with him. And I had so clung to the notion that he was an idiot. Did Jeff's feelings for Michael match my feelings for him? He had been so happy lately, completely oblivious to the fact that every time he mentioned his boyfriend's name I felt like I'd been stabbed in the guts. And when he told me they were moving in together, I hadn't wanted to believe it.

Lily had found me later that night sitting in the Quidditch changing room, shaking with tears. I think that's when she really started to worry about me.

I tried very hard to stay positive and enjoy the rest of the holiday, and to some extent I managed it. I got to vent my frustration through further corresponding with Blake, and it cheered me up to have someone to confide in who didn't constantly try to give me advice on how to "move on". Victoire noticed the change in my mood, and seeing her stop worrying also made me feel better.

The evening before I went back to school, I made a promise to myself. I wasn't going to let Jeffrey Wood bring me down. So it might hurt, but I'd take it standing up. I'd be a man about it. And most importantly, I would focus on Quidditch, and I would live the dream.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

During my first week back at school, I noticed that Jeff wasn't quite himself. He was worried about something, and sometimes he would just get lost in thought when we were talking, and I had to snap my fingers in front of his eyes to get his attention again. When I asked him about it, he said it was nothing. I didn't push it. But towards the end of the week I got a letter from Blake that explained a lot.

-o-

"Jeff," I said tentatively, not sure how to bring up a sensitive subject. "I heard about Michael." It was Tuesday afternoon again, and I was as always helping Jeff clear up after his lesson.

He gave me a surprised look. "How?"

"You remember I told you I have an ex at St. Mungo's?"

"Oh, right."

"You've been acting weird the last week," I told him, "so I was just wondering if you're... all right."

He shrugged. "I guess. We're still together, he just wasn't ready to move in."

"But you're worried that it means something." Jeff nodded. It broke my heart to see him so sad, and that surprised me. "Have you talked to him about it?"

He shook his head slightly. "Not really. Not..." he took a deep breath, "not about the important stuff. I think he's hiding something, Louis." Jeff looked at me like he expected me to say something that would make everything right. "He's been nervous around me the few times we've actually met this past week. I don't know what to do."

_Dump him. _That's what I wanted to say. I wanted to tell him what Blake had said in his last letter. I wanted to tell him that Michael had snogged Blake after they'd been out at a nightclub last Friday night. When I came out to meet Jeff today, I'd been planning on telling him everything. They would break up, and I would get what I wanted. But now, looking at Jeff's worried face, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I couldn't hurt him like that.

"I don't know, just... talk to him. _Make _him talk to you. You can't go around in the dark, and keeping secrets will make everything worse."

"You're right, of course." Jeff smiled at me weakly. "Thanks, Louis."

-o-

I could have screamed when Jeff told me after Quidditch on Friday that he'd had a really good talk with Michael, and that everything was going great. And I did scream, but only later when I was alone.

Blake sent me a long ranting letter, and I felt terribly sorry for him. For a moment he'd thought Michael was his, only to have Michael tell him he'd patched things up with Jeff. Blake also wanted to know why I hadn't told Jeff the truth. I told myself it was because I didn't want to see Jeff hurt, but if I'm really honest, I think my motives might have been a little more selfish. I was afraid Jeff would "shoot the messenger", maybe accuse me of trying to sabotage his relationship. And let's be honest – I was.

-o-

There's not that much to tell about the weeks that followed. I managed to keep myself in a fairly good mood most of the time, I spent a decent amount of time (as much as anyone could expect from me really) studying, and a lot of time practising Quidditch. Jeff had been given the thumbs up after his last check-up at St. Mungo's, and was now allowed to play again, albeit carefully. He used this opportunity to practice with me, and I enjoyed our hours together more than any other part of the week. Not just because I got to spend time with Jeff (which I was becoming increasingly addicted to), but because trying to score against a professional, even a careful one, turned out to be a real challenge – and I _love _a good challenge. I think my skills improved more in those weeks leading up to Easter than in any corresponding time in my life. Oh, and we won the match against Ravenclaw. Obviously. It took Lily longer to catch the snitch this time, and I played the best game of my life. I wasn't even trying very hard, I was just having fun! According to Jeff there weren't any scouts here today, and I was just playing with the poor eagles, feinting and doing stupid circus tricks. None of it would have worked if my opponents were any good. And Annie played fantastically too. I saw her smiling and laughing at my clowning, and the fact that she was confident that we couldn't lose made her save every shot that was thrown at her. My chest swelled with pride – I had seen her talent when there still wasn't much to see, and she could make it.

What I didn't know, was that I had sort of made an arse of myself in front of a scout from the Tornados. Jeff had known she was coming, and was laughing his head off when he introduced us. Luckily the scout, a very pretty woman by the name of Isobel Anderson, had a sense of humour.

"There is a place for theatrics," she said, a glint in her eye, "and today was just such a day."

I laughed. "It was, wasn't it?"

"There's no doubt that you know your way around a broom," Anderson said. "I was impressed by your flying, more so than I expected to be. I realize that you've received an offer from the Catapults-"

"I haven't, really," I said. "Broswick was really vague about it, and I'd rather play for you anyway."

She looked surprised. "Really? I was under the impression that I would have to drag you out of their clutches. Because we could really use a player like you, Mr. Weasley. We're in the process of "reinventing" the team, shall we say. We need young blood." She smiled at me. "Are you interested?"

"Are you serious?" I asked, stunned. "I mean, are you making me an offer?"

"It is not solely my decision," she said, "but I have a strong voice in the running of the team. If it was up to me I would have you sign a contract on the spot. If you are interested, I'd like you to come to our practices during your Easter holidays."

"I'd love to," I said at once.

"Fantastic!" Anderson grinned. "We'll be in touch."

She left me alone with Jeff, and I immediately rounded on him.

"Why didn't you tell me she was here?!"

He laughed. "It worked out, didn't it?"

"But now she probably thinks I'm an insufferable show-off who needs my head deflated."

"Don't you?" Jeff grinned, and I aimed a kick at him. This made him laugh even more. "I just figured your play would be less affected if you were just playing for the fun of it. No pressure, you know?"

"Do you know me at all?" I asked. "When have I ever been bad under pressure? I thrive on pressure. It keeps me from attempting to do stupid things like overhead kicks."

"Louis," Jeff said, "you played brilliantly, and you're as good as guaranteed a spot with the Tornados. So stop fretting." I gave him a half-hearted scowl that turned into a smile the moment I saw the look on his face. "I'm proud of you, you know. If I'm allowed to say that."

"Thank you," I said. "Really." I couldn't resist giving him a hug, and he responded gladly. I think we both realized at the exact same moment that if this was just a normal hug between two friends, it should have ended by now. We let go, and then a _moment _happened. You know. We looked at each other, and there was tension. Real crackling tension, the kind that hadn't been there since that kiss in the broom shed, and I _knew_. My feelings were not entirely unreciprocated.

Jeff cleared his throat and looked away, and the momentdisappeared as quickly as it had come.

"Well," Jeff said awkwardly, "congratulations. I suppose you'd better go join the party, I'm sure your housemates are missing their star player."

"Yeah," I said, "they probably are. I'll be seeing you." I left his office and closed the door behind me, but stopped and waited outside, just for a moment. I don't know what I was waiting for, but I think I got it – the unmistakable sound of Jeff kicking his desk and swearing loudly.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The Easter holidays were the best two weeks of my life. Playing with the Tornados was so much fun, despite that they worked me really hard. Everyone on the team was really nice to me, and I became especially friendly with two of my fellow chasers, Ella and Isaac. They helped me a lot, and invited me out for drinks on several occasions.

Most of the 5th and 7th years who had exams coming up stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays, and I sent a constant stream of letters to both Lily and Daphne telling them about every detail of the training. I expect it was a bit boring, especially for Daphne who wasn't the biggest Quidditch enthusiast. I also sent letters to Blake, and the ones I received in return put me in the most fantastic mood. He was under the impression that Michael was having doubts again. Blake said he was acting distant and strange, and the only thing he would say when Blake asked him about it was "It's complicated." I sent a letter to Jeff after the first week, but I didn't dare to ask anything specific, and hoped I would be able to read something out of his reply. He seemed perfectly happy, but I kept my hopes up.

The night before I returned to Hogwarts I was invited by Ella to go to a new bar in Diagon Alley, the Dancing Dragon. It was doing roaring business (no pun intended) – someone had finally realized that young people would like to spend their Saturday nights at a slightly hipper place than the Leaky Cauldron. I had a couple of drinks, and started to feel the buzz. When Ella had had a sufficient amount of alcohol she dragged me onto the dancefloor.

"You're good at this!" she shouted over the music, and I grinned. The place was packed with people, and I let myself loose, moving to the music, Ella at my side. And then I saw a familiar face by the bar. I immediately made to go over, and Ella shouted "Where are you going?"

"I just saw a friend-"

"What?"

"_I just saw... _oh, never mind." Isaac had just stolen Ella's attention, and I smiled to myself. They would be a couple before the next time we met, no doubt. I pushed through the throng and finally made it to the bar, where Jeff had just knocked back a firewhiskey. "Jeff! Hey!"

He looked up in surprise, and the first thought that popped into my head was _He looks terrible. _Something was not right – but I had no time to voice my concern. Jeff grabbed me by the hand and I felt myself get pulled through the fabric of existence as all the air was pushed out of my lungs. The sensation came to an abrupt halt, and I just had enough time to register my new surroundings – a rather fancy-looking flat – before Jeff backed me hard against the wall and started snogging the living daylights out of me.

Warning lights were flashing in my head. Jeff was obviously quite drunk, and I had a sneaking suspicion that I knew why he looked so out of it. But his arms were now snaking around my waist, and I found I couldn't care less.

-o-

I awoke the next morning to streams of sunlight filtering in through a crack in the curtains, and for a moment I couldn't for the life of me remember where I was. The memories came flooding over me, and I felt an uncontrolled smile stretch across my face. I was in Jeffrey Wood's bed... I turned over, expecting to find Jeff lying asleep next to me. But I was alone. I slipped into last night's trousers, but my t-shirt was no where to be seen. It was probably still out in the hall. The memory of it being dragged off brought another grin to my face. I opened the bedroom door and stepped into the living room. My breath caught in my throat. Jeff was sitting on the sofa, wearing the same clothes as last night, and looking mortified.

I should have known this was too good to be true.

The moment he saw me, Jeff jumped up, took two steps forwards and then stopped.

"Louis," he began, "I – I don't – I shouldn't've – I'm sorry." I just stared at him. _This isn't happening, this isn't happening, fuck, fuck, fuck... _Jeff couldn't even look me in the eyes.

"Sorry?" I managed to say. I didn't recognize my own voice.

"I'm so sorry, last night should never have happened. I was drunk, I was just looking for anything – any_one_ – and then you were there." He was looking at his feet, but when I stayed silent he lifted his eyes to meet mine. I suddenly felt horribly naked, standing shirtless in front of that gaze. "Michael left me." He looked so lost that my first instinct was to comfort him, to tell him everything was all right. But everything was _not _all right. It was the biggest fucking opposite.

"No," I said, swallowing hard so it hurt my completely dry throat. "You can't do this to me." My voice sounded cracked and hollow.

"Louis," Jeff said pleadingly, "I fucked up, and I'm so sorry if I've hurt you, but you've got to understand –"

"_If_?" I cried, anger washing over me and eliminating the numbness. "Of course you've bloody hurt me!" I stomped over to where my t-shirt was lying by the door, and dragged it violently over my head.

"Louis -"

"You really have absolutely no idea? Are you seriously that thick?"

"What are you -"

"You bloody well know, and I know that you know. You know how I feel about you. _Don't you!_" I shouted the last two words, feeling tears stinging at my eyes. The guilty look on his face said it all. He took a step towards me and I hissed "stay the fuck away from me." And with a crack I was back in my room at Shell Cottage.

-o-

_Dear Louis_

_I can't believe I'm actually writing to tell you this – but it happened. It really did! Michael has left Wood! And that's not all. Michael left Wood __for me__. He just turned up on my doorstep last night, asking me if he'd blown his chance by being so distant towards me. I was tempted to leave him hanging for a while, but I was just too happy. But Louis, Michael says Wood is really broken up about it, so proceed with caution, or you might end up being the rebound guy. And you don't want that. Good luck!_

_With love, Blake_

The letter lay on my desk, mocking me. A relationship had ended yesterday, and both Blake and I got what we wanted. Only his bliss had lasted, whilst I felt like wading out into the sea outside my window and drowning. And I _was _all but drowning, in a stream of tears that wouldn't stop.

-o-

I hadn't confided in Lily about anything Jeff-related since before Christmas. She only got angry with me about it. But I couldn't keep this a secret. When I returned to Hogwarts that Sunday evening, Lily accosted me immediately, wanting to know everything that had been going on in my life the past two week.

"I'll tell you later, all right? Right now, I need to talk to you about something else. And Daphne too."

I took the two girls up to my dormitory, which was empty and quiet. They were sharing concerned looks as we sat down on my bed, and for a while none of us spoke.

"Louis," Daphne eventually ventured, "what's wrong?"

I tried to speak, but nothing came out. I shook my head and swallowed hard, willing the tears to disappear from my eyes. Hadn't I done enough crying over that bastard already? The girls both reacted at the same time and reached out, each taking one of my hands in theirs. I started to haltingly tell the story of my life for the past 24 hours, having to stop and swallow or take deep shuddering breaths every other sentence.

"So you were right," I finished, letting go of Lily's hand to wipe a single tear off my cheek with the back of mine. "You warned me not to go after him, and I still did. I only have myself to blame."

"No," Lily said fiercely, "don't say that. If anyone is to blame it's Wood, not you. I can't believe he would act so selfishly!"

"Tell me about it," I grumbled. "I realize people do stupid things when they're drunk, but you should have seen the look on his face. He was absolutely mortified. How is it even possible to fuck up that badly?"

"Do you really think he knew?" Daphne asked. "That you have feelings for him?"

I shrugged. "He didn't look surprised when I told him. Just even more guilty."

"But Louis," Daphne said carefully, "how are you feeling? Really?"

I thought about it. "Numb, I guess. This morning I felt like the world was ending, but now..." I shrugged. "It sort of feels like it happened to someone else."

"Promise me that you'll talk to one of us if you need to, though," Daphne said. "Don't go bottling it up."

I smiled. "I will. Thanks."

"I just have one question," Lily said, eyes twinkling. "If you don't want to answer that's perfectly understandable, but... How was it?" Daphne looked like Lily had just said the most offensive thing in the world, but I just started laughing.

"Lily, you're horrible!" I laughed, and she grinned. "And if you really want to know... it was new. I don't really know what else to say. I mean, it was never going to be good, was it. It was my first time, and with a drunk guy who didn't _know _it was. But it wasn't entirely unpleasant."

"So long as he didn't hurt you," Lily said, "or I'll hex him so badly he'll never be able to sit on a broom again."

I smiled. "He didn't, honestly. But I appreciate the sentiment."

-o-

For the first time that year, I didn't go out into the grounds on Tuesday afternoon. Instead I sat in the library, strategically placed by the window. I could just about see the first years having their flying lesson if I pushed my face right against the glass. As the kids trudged back up to the castle, I thought it looked like Wood was gazing up towards the great oak front doors, as if waiting for someone. I resisted the urge to run out there as fast as I could.

"What are you doing?"

I jumped, spinning around to see Lily standing behind me. "Nothing!" I said, "Just looking out the window." She gave me a look, and I sighed, "Fine, I was looking at Wood. Please don't be angry."

"I'm not angry. Actually, I think I owe you an apology."

"For what?"

"For being a bitch. I haven't really been very supportive of you lately."

"It's forgotten," I said. "And I probably deserved most of it."

She smiled. "Some of it."

I turned back to the window to see a bunch of brooms floating along in front of Wood, who was taking them to the broom shed. I suppose he never really did need my help.

* * *

A/N: I suddenly started thinking that there is _no way _you would be allowed to apparate out of a night club. Oh well, I can't be bothered to change anything now.  
Reviews are as always appreciated, and check out my new one-shot with Draco and Astoria :)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I was lonely. N.E.W.T.s were upon us in mere weeks, and seeing as I didn't really care about my results, I wasn't too bothered with studying. I would sit for hours in the library with Lily and Daphne, sometimes studying but mostly staring into space. I hadn't realized how much time I was spending with Wood until I suddenly wasn't anymore. And it dawned on me – _I've lost my best friend_. He didn't show up at any of Gryffindor's practices before the final match against Hufflepuff. Not that I'd expected him to, but I felt like something was missing without going over my game-plan with him.

The day of the match dawned bright and sunny, and at breakfast I received and owl from Isobel Anderson, the Tornados scout, telling me she'd be watching. At least I knew about it beforehand this time.

Out on the pitch I shook hands with the Hufflepuff captain, very aware that this was the closest I'd been to Wood in weeks. I think he might have tried to meet my gaze, but as I was steadfastly trying to ignore him, I can't say for sure. I wondered if people had noticed that we suddenly weren't on speaking terms, and if so, what the rumour mill was churning out. It probably wasn't nice, whatever it was.

I only scored four goals before the damn Hufflepuff seeker caught the snitch, meaning that we lost. I very nearly fell off my broom in shock. We'd still won the cup, so I couldn't really be too upset. But when I was back in the changing room, I realized Anderson was probably waiting for me in Wood's office. _Damn_.

She'd brought a contract. My hand shook as I signed my name, and a grin spread across my face. I was officially a professional Quidditch player. Anderson left before I had a chance to come back down to earth, and for a moment I didn't realize that I was alone with Wood.

"You really deserve it, you know." I jumped at the sound of his voice, and turned to look at him.

"Yeah," I said, "I suppose I do." I turned and made to leave, but Wood stopped me.

"Louis, wait," he said, and I found myself stopping, even though I didn't want to. "I just want to say that I feel really bad and –"

"I _know _you do, all right?" I cut in, a little exasperated. "And I'm not angry at you, I'm really not. So you can sleep easy." I walked out, a lump in my throat. I swallowed, thinking that it was really true. I wasn't angry at him, I was more angry at myself. But most of all, I was just disappointed that he couldn't see what felt so obvious to me.

-o-

There was a lot of crying among the 7th years as we sat on the Hogwarts express for the last time. I even saw several boys with teary eyes. I felt like I should be feeling sadder than I was. This was the end, the end of sharing dorms, the end of discovering secret passageways, the end of late evenings by the fire. The end of being looked after at every turn. We were grown up now, and we had to take care of ourselves and make our own decisions. It was a scary thought, but also a tremendously exciting one. I knew a lot of people still didn't know what they would be doing come autumn, where they would be working and where they would be living. At least I had that sorted. Quidditch, people! How wicked is that?! I guess that's the main reason why I wasn't particularly sad about leaving Hogwarts.

Lily was going to be a curse-breaker like my dad and would be spending at least a few months in training before being shipped off somewhere exotic, and Daphne had applied for a receptionist job at the Ministry, hoping she would be able to climb from there. I would hopefully be seeing quite a bit of both of them in the coming months.

For the moment I was still living at home in Shell Cottage, having to earn some money before I could start looking for a place of my own. Dominique lived at home as well, and I wondered how long it would take before one of us killed the other. Dominique was a seamstress at Madam Malkin's, and dreamt of opening her own shop. I had never actually told her this, but I thought she was a really talented designer. I made a mental note that I probably _should _tell her. We were getting a bit old for the constant bickering.

When I got home, Mum cried so much I thought she might drown, wailing about all her kids being grown-up and feeling old. I told her that even though she had rounded 50 she could still passably claim to be 35, at which she cheered up considerably.

-o-

I started training with the Tornados already the following week. The Quidditch season didn't start until September, so there weren't any matches yet. However, the summer seemed to rush past faster than I could have possibly imagined. I was having so much fun! But even though I was having the time of my life, there was always this longing feeling nagging in the back of my mind. Something was missing.

I tried to get over Wood, I really did. I _wanted _to get over him, because I knew I would never fall in love with anyone else as long as the thought of him kept creeping into my mind. I decided to write to Blake, since that usually made me feel better, but found that I was having trouble expressing myself. Instead I wrote this:

_So Blake,_

_How about that date? I'd really like to see you. I mean as friends obviously, I know you're seeing Michael. Actually, you might as well bring him along, I'd like to meet him._

_Louis_

-o-

A couple of days later, a warm summers evening in August, found me sitting in a Muggle restaurant not too far from St. Mungo's. It was an Italian place that specialized in pizza (which was still very much a novelty in the wizarding world) and Blake had suggested it, saying it was a favourite spot of his. He came in about a minute after me, and I waved him over to where I was sitting.

"Louis!" he beamed, sitting down in the booth opposite me. "Long time no see, eh?"

"Yeah, I suppose," I smiled. "Doesn't feel like it's been over a year, somehow."

"Definitely not," Blake chuckled.

"So where's your significant other?" I asked.

"He's still at work, some last minute stuff came up. He said he'd join us as soon as he finishes."

"Cool," I said. The way Blake's face had lit up at the mention of Michael made me feel a little bit sick. "You're looking good, by the way," I said.

"Thanks, so do you. And congratulations on the Tornados signing, I was so happy for you when I heard."

"Yeah, it's fantastic," I said, and for a while I sat and told him everything about the Quidditch part of my life. Blake was genuinely interested, and I started to relax and enjoy his company. We ordered food, and after we received our drinks there was a lull in the conversation.

"I was really glad to hear from you," Blake said, breaking the silence. "It's been a while since your last letter. I've been a bit worried about you, actually."

"Really?" I asked, "Why?"

"Well, I thought you'd let me know if you had any luck with Wood," Blake said. "When you didn't write I assumed you hadn't. And I know you had a hard time of it before..." He looked at me with concerned eyes.

"Yeah, well," I said, "things kind of got a bit messed up."

"What happened?"

"You remember your warning about being the rebound guy?" He nodded. "I got that a few hours too late."

"Shit."

"Exactly. I was at the Dancing Dragon that Saturday with a few of the Tornados guys, and I met Wood, and he just... jumped me. Before I knew what was happening we were back at his flat, and I knew I should stop it, 'cause he was pretty drunk, but I... I didn't think." I put my head in my hands and groaned.

"I'll take that as an "I'm not over him"," Blake said.

"I try," I sighed, "I really do. But I just can't seem to shake it. I can't get him out of my head!" I slumped back in my seat and sighed.

"Am I interrupting something?" I looked up to see a young man standing over us, and Blake immediately jumped up and kissed him.

"Louis, this is Michael," Blake said. "Michael, Louis." I smiled unconvincingly and shook his hand, before he sat down next to Blake. So this was Michael. The guy I blamed for all my troubles, and who I'd spent several months hating with a burning passion.

"Nice meeting you," Michael said with a genuine smile. "I've heard quite a bit about you, Louis."

"You have?" I had to give in and conclude that I wasn't going to be able to hate this guy any more. He was the kind of guy you look at and immediately know he's an optimist who loves his job and gives to charity. He was pretty handsome, albeit in an unconventional way, and looked to be about the same age as Wood.

"Blake's told me a bit about you," Michael said, still smiling pleasantly, "and Jeffrey never shut up about you."

"Well that's nice," I grumbled.

"We were just talking about Wood," Blake explained. "He's made a bit of a mess out of little Louis here."

"Did you just call me _little Louis_?" I asked indignantly, and Blake laughed.

"It's always enjoyable to make fun of you," he teased. "It lightens the mood."

I tried and failed to suppress a grin and said "If you ever call me that again I'll hex you into next week."

We turned the conversation to more mundane subjects, and as we ate they told me amusing stories about St. Mungo's, and I told them about my last year at Hogwarts and Quidditch. I found that I rather liked Michael. He was a funny and down-to-earth sort of guy, and extremely easy to talk to. So when we'd finished eating I dared to ask him what I'd been longing to ask.

"If you don't mind me asking," I said, "what was it like being with Wood?"

"Ah, yes," he said, smiling at me with the sort of knowing smile that reminded me strikingly of Daphne. "Jeffrey. I have to say, we had fun. We worked well together. And maybe in a different life, under different circumstances, we would have worked out. But -" he looked pointedly at Blake "- there was someone else who was better for me." Blake smiled and kissed him. I pretended to gag under the table.

"Up yours, Louis," Blake said affectionately.

"I always thought Jeffrey would leave me for you, eventually," Michael told me. "If we'd stayed together."

"What do you mean?" I asked, raising my eyebrows in confusion.

"As I said, he talked about you a lot. There was a time when I hated the very thought of you."

I laughed. "Likewise."

"I don't want to give you false hope," he said, "but if you still love him... go after him."

"There's no use, he doesn't feel the same way."

"I think he does," Michael said with a careful smile. "I'm sure that he had more than just a friendly affection for you. If he doesn't, well, you can't force these things, but I think it's worth a shot. I don't know you very well, but I see it."

I didn't believe him for a second. Maybe there was some truth in his words, I still remembered the almost-kiss after the Ravenclaw match, but if Wood had any feelings for me then, they were gone now. What other explanation was there for him not coming after me?

* * *

A/N: Not too happy about this chapter I'm afraid, it's very choppy.. But I'm not talented enough to improve it (yet). Leave a comment! :)


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"He didn't believe what you said about Wood," Blake said to Michael after they'd left Louis.

"No, I could tell," Michael sighed. "They're both bloody stubborn, that's for sure."

"So what did you think of Louis?" Blake asked.

Michael laughed. "He was _exactly _what I imagined. Right from the looks to the childishness. I can see why you liked him."

"Yeah," Blake said. "I feel really sorry for him. He doesn't deserve this mess."

"D'you think he'll try to talk to Jeffrey?"

"No way. His pride is too beaten up already."

"Then I will."

-o-

"Hi. Can we talk?"

"Um.. I guess." Jeff had answered the knock on his door to find the last person he expected to see. He stepped sideways to let Michael in. "Talk about what, exactly?" he asked, leading the way into the living room. He gestured for Michael to sit on the sofa, whilst he himself took the armchair.

"How are you doing?" Michael asked.

"I'm... fine. Yeah. Why?"

Michael gave him a look. "Seriously."

"What do you mean, seriously? I said I'm fine! I'm completely over you and getting on with my life, thank you very much."

"Are you seeing anyone?"

"No?" Jeff was thoroughly confused.

"You've been single for almost four months?"

"So?"

"So, maybe it's time you found someone else." Michael leaned backwards, looking smug. It annoyed Jeff to no end.

"Four months is not a very long time! I was single for a lot longer than that before I met you. Anyway, I don't see why this has anything to do with you," he said angrily.

"I met someone I think you'd like."

"Are you trying to set me up?"

"Are you interested?"

"No," Jeff said forcefully. Michael raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

Jeff shrugged. "I'm just not. I like being on my own right now."

Michael leaned forward. "I don't believe you."

"You should," Jeff huffed, "'cause it's true."

Michael was silent for a few moments. "Do you want to know who I was talking about?"

"Not particularly."

"Louis Weasley."

Jeff stared at him. "What? How come you met him?"

"He's a friend of Blake's."

After a few seconds of silence Jeff said "Why are you here, Michael?"

"Because I always thought you were in love with him."

Jeff sighed. "I'm not." The all too familiar knot in his stomach tightened.

"Are you sure about that?"

Jeff lifted his head to look at him and saw genuine concern in Michael's eyes. "No," he said. "I'm not sure. I don't know what I feel." Jeff sighed. "I miss him."

"Then why don't you tell him that?" Michael asked.

"It's complicated, all right? I miss him because he was my friend. I miss his company. But sometimes when I was with him I felt... more. I thought it was just his bloody Veela-tricks, but..."

"Ok," Michael said, "so you're not sure about your feelings, is that it?" Jeff nodded. "Isn't that a good enough reason to give it a try?"

Jeff snorted bitterly. "It doesn't matter. He's moved on."

"What makes you say that?" Michael asked.

"I tried to talk to him a while back, at Hogwarts. And he was just completely indifferent. If he'd been angry, well... at least then I would have known he still felt something for me."

Michael looked thoughtful. "I can't pretend to know what he was feeling at that time... but I know he'll say yes if you ask him out."

"He told you that?" Jeff asked, a tiny glimmer of hope erupting in his mind.

Michael grinned at the tone in Jeff's voice. "He's definitely not over you, that's for sure."


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Sorry if the French is wrong. 5 years of studying it at school and I've already forgotten everything. Also, sorry for the late update! I've been on a study trip, and I honestly thought I'd posted this before I left. Turns out - I hadn't.

Chapter 11

My first match as a Tornados chaser was against Pride of Portree. I had never known that I had the capacity to be as nervous as I was now, standing on the pitch and waiting for the whistle. Pressure had never really bothered me, and I always had too much confidence for my own good. But now I felt sick. It was my first match, and I had a lot of people to please. But then we were off, and soon enough I had left my nerves behind. I felt exhilarated. If only I could score _one _goal, I would be happy.

The match was quite a long one, but that meant I had several opportunities at reaching my goal. I did my part leading up to several goals by my fellow chasers, and about 5 minutes before our seeker caught the snitch I managed to score one myself. I'm pretty sure the cheers from the crowd were much louder for me, due to the whole Weasley clan being present.

So I suppose you gathered that we won the match. We won! My first ever game! In the changing rooms spirits were high, and I slowly felt warmth seep back into my freezing limbs, the wind having battered me quite badly. I was just packing up my things when there was a knock on the door.

"Are you decent?" Ella's voice said through the door. "Can I come in?"

"Sure!" Isaac called out. I had been correct in thinking that there was something between them, by the way. They had been going out since that Easter weekend. The two other guys had already left, so when Ella slipped through the door that made us three chasers alone.

"You were brilliant, Louis!" Ella said, hugging me tightly. "Congrats on the first match!"

"Thanks," I grinned, "it feels good."

Ella let go of me and gave me a searching look. "There's someone outside waiting for you," she said.

"Who?" I asked, thinking it was probably a family member. Or a hundred.

"Jeffrey Wood."

I felt all the colour drain from my face. "No," I said, "no, no, no. He can't be here." I turned and looked around the room frantically, looking for another exit that I knew wasn't there. He couldn't be here, he couldn't! If I saw him now I'd be right back to where I started, and these past months of hard work would all be undone.

"What's wrong?" Ella asked, looking confused.

"I can't see him," I said, feeling faint. "I just can't."

"Louis, what's going on?"

"He broke my bloody heart!" I cried. "If I see him I'll _die_!"

"All right," Ella said, "I'll go tell him you don't want to see him, yeah?"

"Please," I whispered, feeling utterly pathetic.

-o-

Jeff stood fidgeting, his mind bouncing back and forth between thinking this was a good idea or a horrendous idea. His heart leapt as he heard the door open, but it was just Ella coming back.

"Did you tell him?" Jeff asked.

"I did," Ella said. "He doesn't want to see you." The words crashed over Jeff like a tidal wave.

"Oh," he said. "Did he say why?" The ever-present knot in his stomach had just tightened painfully. Did he really want to see Louis that badly?

Ella gave Jeff a sceptical look. "I don't know what happened between you two, but judging from Louis' reaction when I said you were here, it can't have been good. So either you're here to declare your undying love for him, or you're leaving."

"I don't know about declaring undying love," Jeff said, and couldn't help a small smile. So Louis had freaked out when he heard he was here? That had to be a good sign. "I was just planning on asking him out, if that's all right."

"Yes!"

Jeff looked up to see me standing in the doorway, and his eyes lit up. Who had I been kidding, thinking I could be this close and not see him? I felt a smile stretch across my face, and I bounded over to him, crying "Yes, it's all right! Ask me!"

Jeff laughed. "It's good to see you, Louis."

I scowled at him. "Ask me."

"I was just wondering," he said slowly, grinning broadly the whole time, "if you would, perhaps, maybe, like to go get a drink."

"I would, perhaps, maybe, like that," I beamed. Then I added, in a slightly more serious tone, "Bloody well took you long enough."

Jeff smiled. "Then allow me to make up for that."

Best. Kiss. Ever.

-o-

"By the way," I said, as Jeff and I walked side by side towards the stadium entrance, "my whole family is here. So I understand if you want to scarper. Meeting the folks isn't exactly a first date activity."

"No," Jeff said, "I'd love to meet your family."

I laughed. "You have no idea what you're letting yourself in for."

"That bad?"

"I don't just mean my parents, you know. We're talking a pair of grandparents and a whole bunch of aunts, uncles and cousins, _and _their significant others."

"I'm sure they're all very nice."

"That's the problem," I chuckled. We were close to the entrance now, and I stopped and looked at him. "Jeff?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I introduce you as my boyfriend?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, I only just asked you out."

"Oh, right. Sorry." _Way to go ruining the mood, Louis, _I thought, mentally kicking myself. But Jeff smiled and tousled my hair.

"I'm kidding," he said, putting an arm round my shoulders. "I wouldn't have you introduce me as anything else." Then he leaned in close so that his lips were right at my ear and whispered "You're mine now, Louis." It was a miracle that I even managed to stay on my feet after a comment like that, but I grabbed Jeff's hand and all but jumped towards the group of Weasleys that had gathered outside, dragging him after me. "You are the cutest thing in the world when you're excited, do you know that?" Jeff chuckled. I beamed at him, then waved at my family.

"Hey guys!" I shouted gleefully. "I've brought someone to meet you!" I stopped in front of my parents, winking at Lily who had raised her eyebrows at the sight of the two of us holding hands. "This is Jeffrey Wood," I beamed. "He's my boyfriend." Poor Jeff. Everyone began shouting out congratulations, and he was at once surrounded by at least 20 people wanting to know everything about him.

"When did this happen?" Lily asked me, no one else hearing her over the chatter.

"Just now," I said, and she let out a whoop of joy and flung her arms around my neck.

"I'm _so _happy for you. I can't really believe it. You'll have to tell me more... but maybe not right now."

I couldn't believe it either. Grandma Weasley immediately invited Jeff to come with us back to the Burrow, where we were having a family dinner. I told him discreetly that I wouldn't blame him for getting out while he still had the chance, but he just smiled and said he'd love to join – that is, if it wasn't an inconvenience, of course. Did I mention that I was in love?

-o-

Jeff seemed to fit in with the Weasleys like he'd known them all his life. We sat next to each other the entire evening, and Jeff chatted away with absolutely everyone, especially Teddy. They had just about known one another at school, and listening to the two of them it didn't sound like a day had passed since then. Several people came up to give me various words of approval: Roxanne said she was jealous I'd snagged someone famous, Molly and Lucy gushed over how handsome he was, and Grandma Weasley told me very firmly that I should hold on to this one.

Towards the end of the evening, when people had started disappearing through the fireplace, Mum asked me carefully if I would be coming home with them or not. I glanced over at Jeff, who raised an eyebrow in silent invitation.

"No, maman," I said, feeling a slight blush at my neck. This isn't the kind of conversation you ever get used to having with your parents, I think. She looked very worried.

"Are you sure, honey?" she said in French. I had to smile.

"Ne t'en fais pas," I replied. "We're not sleeping together yet." The two other people in the room who understood us, Victoire and Dominique, shared looks and snickered. But Mum seemed satisfied.

"I know I can trust you to be responsible," she said. "Have fun!"

The fireplace took us back to Jeff's flat. I actually had time to look at it this time, admiring Jeff's minimalist taste. We were on the top floor of an old house in Diagon Alley that had been converted to flats, and the effect was quite stunning. The old and the new blended seamlessly, with sloping wooden ceilings and light-coloured interior.

"Wow," I said, as I walked across the room to look out the window towards the street. "This place is absolutely gorgeous."

"Yes, I am rather pleased with it," Jeff said, coming up behind me and placing his arms around my waist. "I didn't know you spoke French, by the way. I suppose I should have assumed, but I never thought about it." He placed his head on my shoulder so that his lips were right by my ear. "It's dead sexy."

"Dans ce cas, je vais parler français tout le temps," I grinned, leaning back into him. "Some first date, huh?"

"Yeah," Jeff chuckled, "that wasn't exactly what I expected when I came to see you today. I had fun though, I really did. Your family is weird, and that's a compliment."

"They are a bit, aren't they?" I laughed. I couldn't wait any longer, and turned around to kiss him properly for the second time that day. As the kiss started to deepen, I forced myself to pull away. "Jeff," I said, "I, eh... I don't think we should have sex yet." If he was disappointed by my words he didn't show it.

"That's cool," he smiled, "you want to take it slow. I understand."

"Actually, there's more." I couldn't look him in the eyes as I said it. "I need to tell you something. And you're not going to like it." Jeff didn't say anything, just looked at me questioningly. "Last time we... last time I was here. That was my first time."

"...Shit," Jeff said, his voice somewhat strained.

"Please don't beat yourself up about it," I said quickly. "It was my own fault, I should have stopped it. It's just, it wasn't really what you imagine your first time to be. So I just want to make sure that the next time is perfect."

"Was it.." Jeff swallowed. "Was it really bad? Did I hurt you?"

"No!" I cried immediately, and then "Well, a bit, but it was good too. Some of the time."

"Merlin," he sighed, "I really am sorry. I can barely remember anything from that night. I woke up knowing I'd done something really stupid, and I saw you there, and I panicked. I suppose I could have handled the situation better."

"It's in the past," I said. "And we're here now, so everything worked out in the end." I kissed him, and I felt him relax into me. My chest felt like it was exploding with happiness – I had never known it was possible to feel this good.

"Don't take this the wrong way," Jeff said, "but I always assumed you'd been around a bit. I heard you had a bit of reputation back at Hogwarts."

"I did," I chuckled. "But it depends on what you mean by 'been around.' I snogged my way through half the school, but that was it."

"And your ex?"

"Yeah, about that," I blushed, "Blake was never my boyfriend. I just told you that to sound more mature. We almost got serious on several occasions, but I never wanted to."

Jeff laughed. "Oh Louis. You really are one of a kind."

I grinned. "Thank you."

The End


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue

"There's sand in my underwear!"

"You're the one who wanted to get married on the beach."

"How did it even get in here? Merlin, this is so bloody uncomfortable."

"I know a very efficient way of getting rid of it."

"What?"

"Lose the pants."

"You just want an excuse to see me naked."

"Do I need an excuse on our wedding night?"

"I should hope not."


End file.
